Under the Crescent Moon
by Lance Prime
Summary: A short story about Wutai's Crescent Unit and their leader Godo, father of Yuffie.
1. The Siege of Fort Tamblin

Disclaimer: None of these characters, places or events actually belong to me. They all belong to Square Enix and the Crisis Core team, this is just my interpretation of events.

Most of the dialogue has been the translation from or adapted from that translation by myself.

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The moon sat high in the night, surveying the events beneath it with its usual preternatural calm, pale light, unhindered by cloud, touched everything in sight

The moon sat high in the night, surveying the events beneath it with its usual preternatural calm, pale light, unhindered by cloud, touched everything in sight. It seemed almost surreal, Fort Tamblin was silent all of its protectors hiding in the secret walls and chambers throughout the citadel. It was an unusual night, SOLDIER operatives had gone missing in this area, just north of Banora village, and more SOLDIER members had been instantly sent over to investigate at the same time as trying to finish the War with a major strike at Tamblin, the Wutai forces main command centre.

Godo laughed softly to himself, it was a futile move on the part of ShinRa. One of their first class SOLDIERs and a large portion of their second class had disappeared out here, so in the main the force attacking Tamblin now was third class SOLDIERs and ShinRa infantrymen, both easily within the capabilities of the Wutai soldiers, and with Godo's Crescent Unit standing guard, even a First Class would have trouble taking down the Fort.

It was at this point an explosion went off at the north entrance to the fort. Godo gripped the spire he was crouching behind, hoping the spire would stop him from being propelled off the rooftop. As the rumbling stopped Godo began to move, signalling to the other units to begin their defence of the fort, SOLDIER had made their move, and Godo expected it to be their last. Leaping from the rooftop to the street he carried on running without breaking stride, the thunder of guns being fired started somewhat ahead of him and he was certain that the Wutai forces had begun decimating their opponents. Readying his own weapon, a large spear with a curved blade, he headed for the fire that was blazing in the north.

It was the screaming of people over the sound of gunfire that set Godo's teeth on edge, ever since his wife had died to the hands of the ShinRa he had abhorred guns and he even tried to stop his own Unit from using them, favouring improved skill of their other weaponry and stealth to defeat an enemy. Pushing himself Godo broke into a sprint, round the corner and into the sweltering heat of the street that was ablaze. Ahead of him lay the bodies of 2 children, and who he assumed were their parents, shot by the ShinRa Infantrymen who turned to look at him as he screamed vengeance upon them.

Godo sighed as he cleaned his spear on the uniform on the infantrymen he had killed, he never had agreed with all this killing, he hated the war, it had taken from he things he had loved, his wife, his best friend, and was always threatening to tear him from his only daughter. There was a principle, however, that had to be defended. ShinRa had no right to force their lifestream sucking technology upon anyone, especially a nation like Wutai who revered nature in all of its forms. He recited a quick prayer to Da-Chao and Leviathan, to wash away the souls of the departed Wutai from this life and into the paradise that awaited them.

The heat around him intensified, burning through the houses and spreading throughout Tamblin. Godo wondered how many other families had died this night, through the fire and flames, or at the hands of the ShinRa. Gripping the handle of his spear he began to walk back through the streets to the centre of the fort, it was useless having a person there to guard the central building there, as it was guarded by minor summons that were powerful enough to deal with any they came across. Despite this Godo continued to walk through the burning streets, attacking any of the troops who dared to cross his path.

Eventually he found his way to where the central chamber stood, opposite the statue of Leviathan, the guardian deity of Wutai, the dragon of the waters. It was there he saw the SOLDIER enter the courtyard and begin to walk down the steps towards the statue. Godo jumped onto the roof of the command centre and waited, something about this SOLDIER intruiged him, by his uniform colour, he could only be Second Class, but he had arrived here alone, without an injury. What was more, was that he seemed only a boy, his bright blue Mako-infused eyes reminding Godo of the finest afternoon sky. He watched as the boy wandered around the courtyard, taking more interest in the statue of Leviathan than the building opposite it.

Dropping silently to the courtyard floor, Godo began to step silently towards the SOLDIER, taking the utmost care not to make a sound. Caution told him to be careful around this boy, he would be tougher than he looked.

"What is this?" The boy asked, not turning around. Godo froze, the boy's comment was so inadvertent it was possible he was talking to himself. Godo stepped back however, somehow he had given himself away. The SOLDIER still hadn't turned around but Godo decided to answer the query anyway,

"That is Wutai's guardian deity, the Water God Leviathan. We are the Wutai Special Force "The Crescent Unit". To stop the Water God's ruin, we will destroy Wutai's enemies. We love this land that you barbaric ShinRa dare to tread upon." Godo said, now unsurprised to see the dark haired SOLDIER turn around, completely at ease, confident in his ability to win this, or any battle he may have to face.

"But don't you know that if we can bring Mako here we can help people? Can't we talk this out before fighting?" the SOLDIER argued, his voice earnest, and in other circumstances Godo would have listened to him, but now was not the time for debate.

"Do you even understand Wutai's pain and sorrow? ShinRa--that unjust organization attacked the innocent people of Wutai without cause!" Godo began, and noticing the boy's silence he continued, "You haven't heard the end of it. Do you want to devote your energy to the unjust ShinRa? Do you want to devote yourself to tormenting innocent people?" Godo smiled under his mask as he saw the boy falter, it appeared that this boy, for all his apparent positive qualities, was still a lap-dog of the ShinRa, fed lies and brainwashed into believing that ShinRa were helping people.

"If you feel even a shred of remorse for the crimes you've committed against Wutai then join with us, and atone for your sin!" Godo paused, thinking about what he had just said, this boy was clearly not from Wutai, he would only join their cause for one reason, "Of course, you will not be paid well. But you will be devoting your strength to the righteous cause."

The SOLDIER's face lifted slightly, as if he had found his footing, his belief in his cause renewed, he spoke softly, but clearly, "Righteous? Is that true? Supplying Mako and making people happy doesn't seem like a bad thing…I just don't know…but I chose ShinRa. Whatever may come, that won't change."

Godo sighed softly, he had truly believed this SOLDIER was different, shaking his head he readied his weapon and fell into a battle stance, "How futile to say such things about the heinous and inhuman ShinRa Company. To lose the land we were born and grew up in is the same as death to us. For this reason, fighting us will be your last mission! Know the wrath of Wutai!"

Rushing towards the boy, Godo swung his spear forward and upwards, aiming to disarm the SOLDIER swiftly so that he would be able to win the fight with minimum bloodshed. He was taken aback however, when the boy rolled suddenly to the left, drawing his sword and straightening it at Godo's neck. Not ready to give up, Godo slapped the sword away with his own spear and twisted so that he was facing the SOLDIER. Moving quickly Godo feinted and parried, trying to find an opening in the SOLDIER's defence, but try as he might there was none. Whenever he thought he had found one, the boy moved quickly to close it, either by striking out suddenly at Godo, or diving out of harms way. Grunting in irritance Godo aimed a fire spell at his opponent, the green Materia in his spear shining brightly as the magic was summoned from it. It was as Godo let the spell leave his hands he realised he could no longer see the SOLDIER, turning quickly he felt his legs kicked out from under him. Godo hit the ground with a thud and tried to roll to one side but found his way blocked by the SOLDIER's sword. Closing his eyes, he wondered if this was the end, if he would finally be torn from his daughter. He wondered if he would ever hear her impetuous voice again, or find her trying to sneak up on him while he trained, constantly trying to improve her ninja technique.

Opening his eyes Godo groaned a mixture of pain and surprise as he felt the metal of the sword bite into his flesh. He strained to look to his side, where the blade was embedded, it was not a lethal wound, but that was sure to come soon. The pain intensified as he felt the blade leaving his body, slicing through tissue and muscle. He grimaced and looked towards the SOLDIER, who was staring towards the control centre, his objective. Godo coughed up blood, barely seeing his opponent clip his sword to his back. He did notice the SOLDIER walking away however, without finishing him off.

"Why...why didn't you kill me?" He asked, struggling to get the words out.

"For one reason or another." The SOLDIER replied calmly, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"For as long as we live we will fight ShinRa. We will take your life without fail" Godo promised, clutching his side and beginning to crawl away from the centre building.

It was then as he was no longer able to be seen he heard her voice. He looked around the corner to see her, his daughter, his lovely, spirited Yuffie, attacking the SOLDIER. He attempted to shout at her, to warn her, to get her to escape the burning fort, but he could not manage it, blood spewed from his mouth when he tried. The world began to spin, the pale moon and sky becoming a blur, trying to focus he saw Yuffie running away, and the SOLDIER watching after her as she left the courtyard. Godo smiled, at least his daughter was safe. This thought comforted him as the world faded to black.


	2. To The New Continent

Fort Tamblin had been destroyed, ruined in every sense of the word

Fort Tamblin had been destroyed, ruined in every sense of the word. All that remained there now was blackened rubble, a shattered shrine to Leviathan, the hallowed ground of Wutai desecrated by the ShinRa troops and ultimately defeated by the two operatives sent by SOLDIER. Names had been discovered, and vendettas had been set against them. Zack, the Second Class who had defeated the Crescent Unit leader, and Angeal, a First Class who had been the one to surpass the rest of the troops and set the bombs that had led to Tamblin's destruction.

Evacuation had been a lengthy process, the dead far outweighing the living and most of the dead were identified as Civilians. Godo had locked himself in his chamber for many nights when he awoke, still wounded from his encounter with the Second Class in the courtyard. It had been a great blow to his pride, being defeated by a mere Second, when he had proved himself time and again against many Firsts. As if to add insult to injury, his daughter, Yuffie, had disappeared, and none of the units guarding the evacuees had reported her as being in the camp. Still, three more reports had not yet been received so hope remained, if only faint. The only person Godo would allow in his chamber was the Healer, an expert in healing potions, stronger than the ShinRa brand ones that seemed to be sold everywhere. Godo often believed it was because Wutai's healers were closer to nature, more attuned to the lifestream and therefore more able to heal the children on the Planet. The Healer would bring the reports to Godo, reading him the replies to the search for his daughter, the news from the evacuees and messages from the Capital city past the mountains.

It was on the fifth day that Godo finally emerged, looking frail, from his chambers. He assembled the Crescent Unit, gave orders and left them to prepare for their journey overseas. While this went on around him, he wrote orders to the evacuation camps to send Yuffie to the Cave where his unit were hiding immediately, so that upon his return he could be reunited with her. Limping around the chamber he sighed, he was still a young man, but already he could feel himself draining away, the pressures of leadership, the shame of defeat and the fear of his daughter's loss. All of these sucked away at his energy daily, and his Healer often warned him of the perils of over exertion. Godo felt obliged to ignore these warnings, the greater good took prevalence over his personal health and feelings, and it was for this reason he would travel with 2 thirds of his forces across the sea, at first to Junon where a contact there would supply them with information and the things they needed to stay hidden, and then onto Midgar, the centre of the evil that was ShinRa. It was the last place on Gaia that Godo had ever wanted to go; it was the symbol of ShinRa's power, a small town that had grown to become the power centre of the World because of one company's phenomenal success. Despite this however, it had become clear that infiltrating this power centre was the only way the ShinRa Electric Power Company could ever be brought down.

The next morning Godo, his healer and the Crescent Unit contingent he was sending into Midgar departed, a large ShinRa transport barge, stolen and sent over by the men he had stationed in Junon, it had been made to look like a theft from another Rebel force, AVALANCHE, and in response to this they had redoubled their efforts to find the leaders of the "Terrorist Organisation". Godo was confident that because of this, the security in Junon and Midgar would be lax and make Godo's plan all that much easier.

The barge left early, while the sun was still rising low over Wutai, its deep reddish rays obstructed by the mountains that guarded the southern area of the Wutai continent. Godo stared long at the image, one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, and he felt proud to be from Wutai, confident in the fact he would do anything to protect Wutai's spirit, protect it from destruction at the hands of the ShinRa. Staniv, the Healer, stood next to Godo, a healthy supply of potions in his pack, muttering softly to Chekhov, one of the Crescent Unit members who had been chosen to spy on the ShinRa and obtain secret documents from various resources, Shake was another, a young child, but a skilled fighter, who had proven his worth in the Tamblin siege. These and 4 others were to be placed in Midgar, to retrieve and forward information through a network of Crescent Unit members to Godo who would return home when the setup was complete.

To add to this, the rest of the Crescent Unit had been chosen to cause trouble in the city, drawing the attention of the ShinRa away from the 6 spies, and if possible, eliminate the two SOLDIERs who had humiliated them at Fort Tamblin. Godo watched Chekhov as she left Staniv, drawn to her beauty and easy flirtatious nature, reminding him of his departed wife, a good friend of Chekhov's and Staniv's before she was murdered.

"My lord…." Staniv started, unsure of how he should phrase his question, "Do you truly believe this will work…?"

Godo smiled softly, Staniv had never steered him wrong before, he had a good eye for trouble and Godo trusted his instincts, "What is bothering you my friend?"

"We could be sending this entire unit into a suicide mission my lord. You know this; I've seen it haunting you while you give the orders. What if the ShinRa catch them, what if they are killed or tortured and our base is given away?"

"It will not fail, they will not die. I believe that if they are captured, they will withstand the torture." Godo replied softly, attempting to calm his friend's worries, but in truth all of this had been plaguing him too. He would never be able to forgive himself if Shake died. He was too young to be involved in the affairs of war, but he had proved himself capable, and Wutai needed all the help it could get. AVALANCHE had refused to send aid many times, despite the pleas that Godo and the other leaders of Wutai had sent. It seemed they were alone in their struggle against the behemoth that was ShinRa.

Staniv sighed and closed his eyes, "Very well my lord, if that is your belief. I shall depart now; there is much to prepare for."

Godo nodded and looked back to where the sun had been setting over Wutai, but the land had disappeared over the horizon. Soon they would reach Junon, the domain of Rufus ShinRa, Vice President and Son of the President ShinRa. It was reputed that he was one of the ShinRa Executives that had pushed for the attack on Tamblin, the first open attack on Wutai. Before this, it had been small raids, all initiated after the peace talks between ShinRa and Wutai had been a failure. Rufus was not a man to be trifled with, a fear monger, who believed force, was a more effective way of dealing with problems than espionage and bribery, the tactic his father employed ruthlessly.

Godo took one last look at the sea and headed into his cabin, smiling encouragingly at the Crescent troops on deck who were sparring with each other, dressed in ShinRa uniforms, constantly testing their own limits, as Godo had taught them too. Closing the door behind him he sighed, "We'll cross the ocean…to a new continent…Even if it is in ShinRa uniforms."


	3. Operation: Infiltrate the Wasteland

Wasteland

Wasteland. Arid, dry, empty wasteland, devoid of life, drained of energy. An unnatural phenomenon that spread like a blight around any Mako reactors that had been placed. The mountains at Nibelheim, the mountains leading to Corel, all areas that sung testament to the destructive force of the ShinRa creations. It was a horrifying sight, the sense of loss that pervaded the area, as if the Planet mourned for its wounds, mourned for the lost spirits plucked from the lifestream artificially. Of all of these death sites however, the area surrounding Midgar was the largest. It bred disturbing monsters, unnatural hybrids of organic and machine, all of the Planet Energy being sucked out by the 9 Midgar reactors. Midgar was the largest city on the planet, so large that it was divided into 8 separate sectors, all of which were over crowded, and to add to the already miserable conditions, every Sector had its own slum, remnants from the old Midgar, the Midgar before ShinRa became a conglomerate.

50 years ago, Midgar was a small village, around which 8 smaller villages were situated, and a ninth Kalm, was somewhat to the east of these 9 villages. These villages were never large places, and were generally seen as so insignificant that there was no record of them, and so their names have been forgotten in the annals of history. In Midgar however, the future President of ShinRa, built and put into use the first Mako Reactor, changing the energy industry forever. ShinRa built his business empire around this success, building Mako reactors in Nibel and Gongaga at the demand of the respective Town Mayors. As this success lead to more and more people moving into the Midgar area to work for ShinRa, the town spread, swallowing the smaller 8 towns, and as time passed, more reactors were built in each town, with the first being christened Mako Reactor 0, the largest of all the Mako reactors to date.

It wasn't long after this that Reeve, the new Chief of Urban Development at ShinRa Inc, revealed his plans for the Plate to be built above the 8 villages, and these were the original Sectors. It was believed that more and more people would be attracted to work at ShinRa Headquarters, and this in turn would bring in more money for Midgar's economy, which in turn could be pumped into improving the efficiency of the Reactors and bettering the living conditions for the Midgar inhabitants. It was a noble plan, and one that Reeve and his team believed in.

However, as these plans often go, the extra income into the economy wasn't used the way it should have been, instead being given to military and scientific purposes, creating the ShinRa army, and later the Mako Infused SOLDIER. Due to this, the original villages, fell into squalor, and became known as the Slums.

The Slums were terrible places to live, the polar opposite of the Sectors. Many of the houses were still made of wood, and disease ran rife. Junk littered the streets and crime was an every day occurrence. It was of these things that Godo thought as he walked through the Sector 5 Slums, eyeing the amazing amount of trash that had been discarded from above the plate. Children groped through piles of the stuff, looking for lost gems that had been thrown out, any piece of scrap metal that could be used to fix a home, or Materia, or Medicines that had been unwanted. Desperation shone in almost every face that Godo saw. But despite this, Godo saw pride in their eyes, a jealous pride of what they had achieved and sustained against the odds. To them this was home. It was a look that the Slum section of Junon's inhabitants had shared, and it reflected everything Godo felt for Wutai.

Because of this, Godo felt a connection with the Slum's, and an outrage at what the ShinRa had done to the people who had trusted, and still trusted them. And all the time he felt this he was wondering, was this what Wutai would become if the ShinRa ever got their hands on it. Would he see the same despair on the faces of his neighbours, would his grandchildren be rooting through scraps to find materials so that they could live. He sighed and felt Staniv's hand on his arm, the look on the Healer's face said everything, he was thinking the same thing. Godo smiled encouragingly at his friend, Staniv had lost much these last few years. Staniv's son had been a warrior too, one who had been killed near the beginning of the war, at the blade of Sephiroth himself, and just a few weeks ago his home had been destroyed and his brother killed at the siege of Tamblin.

It was enough to temper the will of any man, and Staniv had supported Godo from the beginning of the war. All he wanted was for the ShinRa to stop attacking Wutai, and there had been times that Staniv had pushed for a peaceful solution to war. Godo had often been forced to concede that Staniv's solutions would work, but his pride was too great to ever put these into motion. He would only ever give into ShinRa as a last resort. They had taken too many lives from the hands of the Wutai; too much had been destroyed at the hands of ShinRa.

All around Godo, members of the Crescent Unit scurried around the slums, preparing for their infiltration of the Sectors above. Many of them were dressed as ordinary civilians now, and were being briefed by Chekhov. Behind her Shake was getting ready, looking with disgust at his outfit, he was to pose as a small child in the Slums Park, and he was to pass information from the Sectors above back to Godo who would return to Wutai. His job was to sort through the information and sort out the relevant and useful pieces from the meaningless drivel that the Spies were reporting. Shake was good at this, and would know which pieces could be important, no matter how trivial they seemed.

Chekhov was a different matter, she was being sent directly into the heart of things, the only woman on the team, she was to infiltrate the working class of ShinRa and find as much information as she could. It was something she could easily perform, men had a way of falling at her feet just to earn a smile or touch from her. Godo, on more than one occasion, had dealt with the feelings of guilt for his wife that Chekhov brought up in him. Yuffie hadn't made this any easier, often asking him if she was going to be her new mother.

Staniv left Godo to speak to some more Wutai units that were sitting around a map of the Sector 4 slums. They were there simply to distract the SOLDIER and Infantry from discovering the true spies within Midgar. They were under strict orders to make themselves noticed by the ShinRa administration, engage with the ShinRa troops and retreat where possible to drag out the conflict and confuse the troops. If retreat was impossible, then they should defeat the troops as quickly as possible and go back into hiding.

This was to continue for as long as possible, until the six spies deemed it prudent to flee back to Junon, and from there to travel back to Wutai. This was Godo's strictest order to them. If they sensed any danger, or threat of being discovered they were to leave immediately. He would not endanger the lives of his men needlessly. He couldn't live with the deaths of more children of Da-Chao on his shoulders.

Staniv returned to Godo's side, and saluted curtly. His eyes were hard, determined and Godo could sense the fire inside him. The military movement and stance was something Godo had never expected to see from Staniv, his old friend and healer.

"Godo…Sir." Staniv began, "I'm staying here…I'm replacing one of the spies, I think my experience in the capital will help me fit in, replacing one of the ShinRa higher level employees."

Godo let his jaw drop; it was possibly the last thing he had expected to hear from Staniv, but strangely, he felt he should have seen it coming. If anything Staniv would want to stay with Shake, the child he had begun looking their own respective families were lost. Shake, when he was found was a disrespectful, stuck up brat, who cared for no-one and wanted everything his way. Staniv took him in, and taught him to become the warrior and prodigy that he had become.

"Very well," Godo agreed, knowing that he could not stop his friend from staying, and if he tried then Staniv would never forgive him, "Just, look after yourself and Shake, and keep an eye on Chekhov for me."

Staniv grinned, saluted and walked off, chasing after Shake and the others as they dispersed throughout Midgar. Godo sighed and began the lone journey back to Wutai, a journey he thought he would be making with Staniv.

As he stepped out of the Sector 5 gates, he looked back past the church, and saw there was no more sign of any Wutai men or women to be seen, as if they had never been there at all. Godo shook his head, praying to Da-Chao and Leviathan that they would return to him at some point.


	4. The Kindness of Strangers

Gongaga was not a place Godo had ever expected to end up in, it was far from his destination and even more difficult to find a way back to Wutai from than Junon

Gongaga was not a place Godo had ever expected to end up in, it was far from his destination and even more difficult to find a way back to Wutai from than Junon. He never expected to have to set foot on this continent, and never in his life would he imagine that he would have to arrive here, injured and infected with some bizarre poison inflicted by Materia. The ShinRa were getting better at their Military work, creating more and more fusions of Materia, new variations to force the Planet Energy into being used, the Knowledge of the Ancients combining with the Science of the modern age. Godo almost admired them for their success in this field. If only it was funded by the exhaustion of the Lifestream.

He had been here for over a month now, recovering from this poison. The Mayor of Gongaga had to order a special antidote, again created by the ShinRa to help him dispel the effects it was having upon his already weak body. It wasn't the first time he had wished Staniv had remained with him. This wouldn't have occurred if he hadn't been alone. He would be in Wutai by now if Staniv hadn't left him to join the spies in Midgar.

Godo had travelled through the plains quickly, hiring a Chocobo to avoid the Midgar Zolom that patrolled the marshes at the entrance to the Mythril Mines. The mines were beginning to empty out; only a few diehard miners remained, working in teams to ward off the increasing number of monsters that had begun to infest the mines. Godo helped them where he could, killing any of the monsters that attacked when he was around. They were not difficult to fight, but for inexperienced fighters, their attacks were ferocious and almost constant. His stay in the mines was a pleasant one, a night he would always remember. The miners paid no heed to his race, telling him that it was unimportant, and they shared no loyalty to the ShinRa, only to their profession. The miners treated him with a kindness he did not expect in this part of the world, and left him with knowledge that changed him. ShinRa affected everyone, but not always negatively. The miners and agricultural workers in the fields surrounding Kalm and the Chocobo Ranch, all of these owed their work to the advances ShinRa provided.

It was this thought that plagued Godo as he travelled to Junon, if ShinRa had helped people, was it possible that the Wutai too could benefit from ShinRa's involvement. He thought of nothing else, turning the idea over and over in his mind, weighing up the arguments but unable to come to a conclusion. His pride as a warrior of Wutai stood firm, and perhaps this was his problem, perhaps this was all of Wutai's problem. They were too proud to accept the fact that maybe ShinRa could help. Was it worth the life of their planet though? Were a few years of comfort and abundance worth draining the planet of its life to further their own? Da-Chao taught that everything had its time and place in the grand scheme of things, and Leviathan supported this, the flow of the lifestream, the flow of a river, constantly moving but all connected. It was proof of the continuity of the planet, but as ShinRa sucked this river dry, the infinite continuity was cut short.

Junon reminded Godo of why he was fighting, the Slums, the polluted water, the illness that affected those living below the city. The same condition that affected Midgar's slums, the same look of desperate pride that shone in every eye. It was this that Godo wanted to protect Wutai from. This desperation, the pure desolation of their land and hope. Bribing the ShinRa guard Godo ascended in the lift to the upper city, the Junon that everybody saw, its shining buildings and proud cannon striking out over the sea. It was an impressive city, and reputedly where Rufus ShinRa had made his base of operations as Vice President. As the door of the lift opened to the streets Godo realised something was wrong, ShinRa troops were everywhere, checking alleyways and houses. Wreckage was strewn across the streets, mechanical soldiers created by ShinRa to replace the troops who had their organic limitations, even SOLDIER had these, and these robots were designed to remove these limits. Godo grinned as he saw they were not working as well as ShinRa seemed to hope. There were many more robots aflame than fallen humans. As more troops appeared from out of a house, Godo decided to run.

Godo was out of breath as he reached the alley leading to the docks. Junon would never stop sending out supplies or troops on these ships, it would be ruinous to their reputation if they did. It would make them seem weak and people would lose faith, an idea the ShinRa would hate. The people and cargo entering these ships were carefully monitored, a ShinRa troop checking the credentials of every passenger, worker and soldier on board, as well as inspecting all the cargo. Godo wondered if they were looking for the Wutai soldiers that had been here mere weeks before, and he wondered how difficult he would find it to get on board. He considered a strategy carefully, he could try and blend in, pretend to be just another worker, bluff his way onto the ship and be free, the ship would travel to Wutai, it seemed to be a troop carrier, and he would hide in the mountains of his homeland until he found a route home.

It was he considered this he heard a shout from one of the SOLDIERs, a tall dark haired young man, who pointed upwards and began to run off towards the steps to the upper levels. Looking up Godo saw a large looking man, do a double take, and run off, the tails of his lab coat flapping behind him. When Godo looked back to the boat, the troop guarding the entrance had run off, following the dark haired SOLDIER. Taking his opening Godo ran onto the boat, stealing a spare maintenance crew outfit and slipping in with the others.

The journey was a long one, and Godo used this time to think over what he had seen in Junon. The face of the dark haired SOLDIER played on his mind, like he should know him, but for the life of him Godo could not place the face, but something about his eyes stuck out, nagging at him like an old war wound. Placing it at the back of his mind Godo busied himself, pretending to work on the ship.

The sun blinded Godo as he stepped off the boat, it was something he didn't expect to see in Wutai, so bright, and the heat, the heat was so intense. Shielding his eyes from the painful rays of the sun he looked around. All he could see was the sand, and a few people in bikinis and swim shorts. Godo wandered around in a daze, looking for the stairs. When had Wutai's coast ever been like this? A hotbed of tourists, something big had changed while he had been away. It wasn't until he saw the mansion that he understood. Costa Del Sol. Godo sighed, there was no boats from here to Wutai he knew that, the journey home was going to be a long one.

The weeks of travel between Costa del Sol were mostly uninteresting, but everywhere he went he saw the destruction left by ShinRa. In Corel, a once proud town was reduced to scrap miners, hawking useless materials for Gil. The mountains were soulless peaks now, nothing like the proud mountains of Wutai. It wasn't until he reached Gongaga that he saw the true face of ShinRa. Years ago now, a Reactor installed in Gongaga exploded, destroying most of the town, and killing hundreds. ShinRa did nothing to help them, forcing them to call on aid from Nibelheim and Rocket Town to help them rebuild. The aid they received wasn't enough however, and now Gongaga was a ruin. Small huts, worthless shops and mostly inhabited by elderly people.

Godo had heard the news of the destruction years ago, but he never imagined it to be so horrific. Neither would he have ever imagined to see Turks inspecting the reactor. There were two of them, and both of them looked irritated. Godo could hear them complaining about the "pointlessness" of their mission, and how "looking for the scientist was more important". Godo shook his head and chose to sneak past, towards the village.

"Hey you…" someone spoke, one of the Turks, though Godo could not see which, "it's a little weird seeing a Wutai soldier so far from home, dont'cha think?"

Godo turned and sighed, the redhead had spotted him. He was a messy looking lank fellow, his jacket undone and his stained shirt unbuttoned. His bald partner turned, clenching his gloved fists. He stared at Godo through his dark glasses, and tensed.

"Hey Rude…About time we had ourselves some sport eh?" The redhead piped up again, and his partner grunted, although Godo had no idea whether it was in agreement or not. "I thought you'd feel that way partner, the boredom gets to you too huh?"

"Reno…" The bald one spoke, his voice deep and reserved, "Lets make this quick, we need to report back to Tseng soon."

"Anything you say buddy" the redhead, Reno, answered, pulling his rod from his jacket.

Godo sighed again, he had brought no weapons with him, so he had to rely on his fists to pull him through this. The speed of the redhead surprised him, the metal rod swinging towards his face faster than he had thought possible from such a lank man. Mentally he noted not to underestimate the Turks in the future. Raising his arms to protect his face Godo was pushed backwards, springing forward with his palm raised towards his attackers face. It was then that he felt a kick to his ribs, the pain nearly splitting him in two, still not completely recovered from his defeat in Tamblin. Struggling to his feet Godo landed a punch on the bald Turk, knocking him back before kicking out at Reno, tripping the redhead. Clutching his ribs, Godo looked at the two of his opponents, they were getting up quickly, and Godo didn't have time to waste, he began to run towards to the village where he would find a place to hide.

"Rude, he's getting away!" He heard Reno shout from behind him, "Use the Materia Veld gave us, now"

Godo pushed himself harder, running towards the village faster than he thought he could have. He was stopped by the energy that hit his back, falling flat on his face. He could feel something seeping inside him, such a bizarre sensation. As if water was pouring into him through every pore. Rolling onto his back he found he was unable to stand. The two Turks stood over him, the redhead grinning widely.

"Nice shot buddy," he complimented his partner, clapping him on the shoulder.

"That should finish him…there are no antidotes available here, only ShinRa HQ have them right now. We should leave" Rude said, his voice still reserved, as if nothing had happened at all.

The last thing Godo remembered was them walking away as his vision faded.

He had been in Gongaga for a month recovering he was told. No one in the village knew who he was, or where he was from. They only knew a villager had found him outside the Mako Reactor, and brought him to the village doctor. The doctor had kept him alive through a mixture of potions and regular antidotes until the ShinRa one arrived. Within another week Godo was on his feet and feeling better than he had since leaving Midgar. During this time he learnt all he could from about Gongaga, about the Mako Reactor, about ShinRa, and about the life the Gongagans lead. This, like the Mythril Miners, was something he would keep with him for the rest of his life. A memory of the kindness of strangers and the wisdom of others, despite them not believing in Da-Chao. It was also from these people that he learned of the Pilot, Cid Highwind; a man would fly Godo to Wutai in his Tiny Bronco, for the right price.

With this knowledge, Godo set out for Cosmo Canyon, Nibelheim and then onto Rocket town. Godo smiled as he left; glad to be on his way home, back where he could find Yuffie and lead the Wutai into more glorious means of defeating the ShinRa.


	5. To Travel Through Higher Winds

The grey peaks of Mt

The grey peaks of Mt. Nibel loomed behind Nibelheim, blocking the path of any who wished to travel to Rocket Town. No man had ever fully explored the caverns and tunnels within Mt. Nibel, or faced the mass of monsters that lived within. One of the oldest Mako Reactors resided upon the summit of the mountain, and the dead aura that permeated the mountains was a testament to this. Fog and bizarre variations of monster protected it from ever being explored fully, monsters even ShinRa had trouble with. It was common knowledge that many SOLDIERs lost their lives trying to deal with disturbances of Mt Nibel, and because of this any mission related to Nibelheim was seen as bad luck.

Godo looked back to the town, hoping to draw warmth from its presence. It was lacking. Nibelheim was a backwater place, in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by nature warped by the Mako Reactor. The people who lived here were quiet, and reserved, keeping mostly to themselves; even the children lacked the energy Godo had seen from every child he had met, regardless of their circumstances. People who lived in the shadow of the mountain, humbled by its power left in awe of it. People that lived in the shadow of the ShinRa, the ShinRa research mansion built slightly away from the town centre, the last building you would see before leaving for the mountains. Its presence was relentless, and Godo noticed people constantly glancing in its direction. An innkeeper had told him that every other month, a new batch of ShinRa infantrymen were sent to relieve the guards of the mansion. Scientists lived in the mansion, using their knowledge to further the ends of the ShinRa, constantly working on new ways of abusing the life stream. He had avoided it, the fear of being wounded a third time by the ShinRa sickened him. He needed to hurry back to Wutai.

Travelling the jagged, dangerous paths of the mountain was more difficult than Godo anticipated. The paths were deceptively unstable, and the monsters that Godo had to deal with were unlike any he had encountered before. Darkened monsters, the lack of lifestream and sunlight warping them, making smaller, faster and more vicious, and able to play tricks on the mind with the toxins they exhumed. Godo reflected upon the state of things, and wondered if the ShinRa even realised the damage they caused to the planet. Did they know they were killing everything, and what they didn't kill they mutated, changed into something unnatural, or was President ShinRa's soul as dark and desolate as these mountains. Lacking warmth and conscience, sucked dry of life by ambition and greed.

It took two days for Godo to cross the mountains, having to find a lengthy route to avoid the ShinRa posted at the Mako Reactor. He was grateful for the amount of pathways that had been cut through the mountain tops, paths once lived in by dragons, creatures that used to guard this mountain, much like Leviathan guarded Wutai. Many of these beautiful creatures had been forced out, they needed to be close to the lifestream it was said, and as the ShinRa began to drain the area, the dragons died out, dwindling down to the few remaining guardians, who selfishly defended their territory. It was because of these caves he found his way around the reactor, a path underneath the rickety bridge connecting the two highest peaks of Mt. Nibel, and straight across the river into the northern part of the New Continent.

The sun was Godo's saviour, the warmth on his face as he left the caverns of Mt Nibel a reminder of everything Wutai had. Staring out across the water from the beach he could almost see the mountains of Wutai on the horizon. It was almost enough to make him want to run to Rocket Town, to where Cid Highwind, the legendary pilot, would fly him back to Wutai. He wondered what news would await him when he returned. He wondered if Yuffie would be waiting for him, and if he had received word of Staniv and the others. He had much to say to the council of leaders in the capital, much to tell them of the suffering he had seen, and of his further plans to bring down the ShinRa. He had to tell them about his doubts too, how he had seen on more than one occasion that not everything ShinRa had done was bad. The medicines they developed and the advances they had made in technology were useful to everyone, even Wutai could benefit from them.

As he walked, the peak of what appeared to be a small mountain revealed itself on the horizon, rising slowly as he got closer, showing its true form, the head of a rocket, the metal glinting in the sunlight, the curves of the machine screaming tales of the ingenuity of her creator. Godo stopped in awe; this was the pinnacle of human technology, a symbol of humanity's free spirit and wanderlust. It was beautiful. The ShinRa no. 26 was ShinRa's newest flagship, a boast to the entire world as to what they could achieve. Godo stared at the Rocket, an entire town had been built around this project, all of the inhabitants had been a part of its construction. Godo stepped into the town cautiously, searching for any sign of a ShinRa troop, but the town seem deserted with the exception of the scientists and pilots. An old man sitting on a bench smiled at him, noting the awe in the warriors face.

"It's a beautiful piece of machinery isn't she?" he asked, his voice kind and soft, Godo nodded in reply, to stunned to reply with words.

"I spend all my time here," the old man began, standing up and shuffling to wear Godo stood, "Just looking at her, my life's work, so close to fruition, it makes life worth living."

"How long until they launch her?" Godo asked, trying to hide his accent.

"Not long, a few months at most," The old man sighed softly and his voice became choked, "and then I'll never be able to see her again…they'll take her to Midgar when she lands, it's inevitable. Her launch will be a bittersweet moment my boy, let me tell you that."

Godo smiled at the old man, understanding the pride he felt in his work, much like Godo's pride in his troops, his Crescent Unit.

"So why are you here lad?" the old man asked, his voice clear again

"I'm here to see Cid Highwind; I would request a favour from him." Godo told the man and then cursed himself for it. The less people that knew he was here the better; it was already a risk asking Cid to take him home, because in essence, Cid was a ShinRa employee.

The man pointed at a house closer to the base of the rocket, "He lives over in that building, finest pilot I've ever met. Ain't no one else I'd trust to fly my girl into space let me tell you that!"

Godo bowed slightly and thanked the man before walking towards the house, praying Cid was home and would listen to his request.

As he got to the door of Cid's house he found it open and the house was a mess, bits of machinery littered the corridor and oil was smeared along the walls, Godo called inside, shouting for Cid before entering. He crept in, wondering if an attacker lie in wait in one of the small rooms. Godo raised an eyebrow at the kitchen, bits of engine were scattered around the tables, except for the area surrounding the kettle and in front of the single kitchen chair. In that space, stood one steaming hot cup of tea, within arms reach of the chair. Godo pursed his lips in thought, it was still hot, which meant Cid can't have left long ago; he wondered if he was in the backyard, calming himself down, stopping himself from thinking about Cid being attacked before he had even arrived.

As Godo crept to the back of the house he noticed the backdoor was shut, unlike its partner in the front of the house. Shaking the handle Godo cursed, and there was no sign of a key in this mess. Shaking his head he turned and everything went black.

Godo groaned as he opened his eyes, the ceiling was spinning, and he could smell oil, and metal all around him.

"Ah so you're awake then eh?" a voice came from somewhere to his side, "Feckin' Wutai thief,"

Godo sat up and looked at the source of the voice; he was sitting in the singular kitchen chair holding the cup of tea from before, his blonde hair was tinged with whitish grey at the temples and pushed back by leather goggles. Shaking his head Godo muttered an incoherent question.

"Who am I?" the man began and laughed, lighting up a cigarette he sighed in happiness, "I'm Cid Highwind, but the question is, who the hell you are? The bastard that snuck into my house while I was checking on the Rocket."

Godo grunted again and rose to his feet and found himself greeted by the end of a spear,

"Whoa whoa!" Cid laughed, "It doesn't do for thieves to stand before being asked does it, so what's your name?"

"Godo, and I'm not a thief, I came inside because the door was open, and I saw the mess…I assumed you'd been attacked."

Cid laughed heartily, resting his spear against the wall and finishing his tea.

"Well I'll be…" he chuckled to himself grinning broadly as he smoked, "well if that's the case Godo, I'm sorry for walloping you with that there spear." He laughed again, "It's not everyday you get a Wutai warrior sneaking around your house trying to protect you is it?"

Godo shook his head and sighed, he should have been more careful.

"Don't worry about it, have a cup of tea and we'll talk about me making it up to you."

"Sorry, but I don't want any tea, but thank you for offering…"Godo began

"What! Sit down and drink the god damn tea that I give you, in my house!" Cid shouted before turning to the kettle and grumbling about guests and their lack of manners.

Godo rubbed his forehead; it was still ringing from where Cid had attacked him. Everything seemed hazy, maybe he did need a drink, maybe he needed food, he hadn't eaten since he had left Nibelheim. He needed to get home first though.

"Cid, I heard you fly people around for money correct?"

Cid chuckled softly, "Used to, that's the truth, until the bastard ShinRa stole my Highwind, best ship I ever flew, built her myself. Now, I can't take many passengers so it's rarely worth the money they offer." Cid turned and passed Godo a cup of tea, "You planning on asking me to take you back home? It's not all that usual to see a Wutai soldier in the middle of a ShinRa base."

Godo nodded quickly, he had to leave soon in any case, he just hoped he would be leaving in a plane headed home.

There was a silence in the room while Cid lit up another cigarette and thought about Godo's request, Godo cupped his tea in his hands, praying for an answer. Suddenly Cid stood up and downed the cup of tea he had made for himself.  
"Well…hurry up and finish the goddamn tea so we can get a move on to Wutai, no time like the present eh?" he grinned and went to the backdoor, unlocked it and went outside. Finishing his tea Godo followed Cid towards the small plane tied in the backyard.

"This is the first plane I ever built," Cid beamed, patting the nose of the plane with pride, "The Tiny Bronco, get you to Wutai in no time."


	6. Closure

Godo's return to Wutai had brought celebration to the capital city, their war hero had returned to them after they had feared him dead. The festivities had continued for three days, his return coinciding with the Festival of Da-Chao, an annual celebration where the Wutai people offered their prayers to Da-Chao along with wheat and grain offerings. These offerings were taken to the statue of Da-Chao carved into the mountain beside the capital, and burnt in a special chamber by the Priest of Da-Chao. This was intended to appease Da-Chao and Leviathan and protect the Wutai people, and this years Festival was more important than ever. More than ever the Wutai people needed protection from the ShinRa who ravaged their homes and killed their loved ones. The return of Godo seemed to some like a blessing from Da-Chao himself, and others truly believed Godo had been brought back from the dead to protect their homeland.

Godo saw none of the festivities himself, locking himself in his office to read through the collection of paperwork that had built up in his absence. Reports from the Midgar troops had to be analysed and passed on to the High Priest of Da-Chao, the leader of Wutai, who would make all the final decisions for the army. Godo looked from his window to the Pagoda at the furthest end of the city, on the fifth floor, far above the city, the High Priest worked. Godo sighed, his father had grown old in his absence, the work he did as High Priest had taken its toll, and the disappearance of his son and granddaughter had only made things worse. Godo had only seen him twice since he arrived home, once to announce himself, and then again at the festival opening. Work had pulled them apart as soon as he had returned.

Paper littered Godo's desk and floor, various reports from the troops in Midgar. SOLDIER had been sent out to deal with the troops in the slums, and one of them stood out. Zack Fair had reportedly killed most of the troops before they had the chance to escape. Godo cursed at every report he read where this SOLDIER had been listed as the killer. He was good, Godo knew that first hand, he still bore the scars from their last encounter, but to kill this many Wutai troops. He must be some kind of Sephiroth clone.

There were other reports too, someone within ShinRa had found out about the real spies within Midgar, and knew they were of the Crescent Unit. They knew their numbers and some clues as to who they were, but no arrests had been made. Godo swore as he read the name of the specialist who had been sent out to deal with them. A name that seemed to be cropping up more and more in these reports; SOLDIER 1st Class, Zack Fair. This boy was getting too much, and needed to be stopped before he ruined all of Godo's plans.

Godo quickly scanned the rest of the reports, letting the important pieces of evidence sink in. He had work to do, and to do that work he had to return to the mountain cavern where the Crescent Unit operated from. Messages had to be sent out, troops had to be prepared. The Spies had to be brought back, Shake, Chekhov and Staniv; all of them were in danger of being caught by this Zack. He knew there wasn't much time, and much of it had been wasted by his mistake in Junon, lengthening his journey by months.

Striding out of his office, Godo flicked a wrist at one of his subordinates, ordering him to send a message to his father, begging his forgiveness but informing him of the need to return to the Crescent Unit. He wondered what would happen to them if they were caught. Would Shake be interrogated until he revealed the base to the ShinRa, would the ShinRa stoop so low as to harm a child. Godo already knew the answer, and it wasn't something he wanted to admit. A Chocobo carriage awaited him outside his home, prepared to carry him wherever he needed to go. Sitting in the carriage he shouted an order to the driver and stretched out. Soon he would be back in his real office, the comforts of the place he truly called home. Just south of where Tamblin had once stood, unfound by ShinRa, and hidden from the majority of the Wutai too, it was where the real security of Da-Chao's children was preserved. It was also where the main reports from Shake would be sent, bypassing the High Priest and his council, and stopping the leaders from extra stress.

It didn't take long for the Chocobo Carriage to arrive at the foot of the mountains where Godo wanted to go. In truth the true location of the cave, was several peaks away from where he had been left, but he didn't want the carriage driver to know. He began to run towards the true mountain, the smallest of all the peaks in this range. It wouldn't take him long; there was a path up to the secret entrance that had been carved years ago by the Crescent Unit. Running up the path he saw the sentries that had been posted to keep an eye on anyone coming up the mountain. He knew what would happen next, a series of Chocobo calls would sound around the mountain, and when he finally reached the secret entrance a platoon of Crescent troops would await him inside, their guns drawn and ready to fire. He would, as always, have to tell them the secret entry code, along with his name, rank and Crescent Unit number. Only then would they allow him entry.

Godo reached the entrance to the cavern and entered, tapping on every third rock, the first part of the signal to be allowed in to the Crescent Unit's base. Inside the hollowed cavern the knocks echoed, and made certain sounds that told the Sentries within the door that it should be opened. It wasn't nearly as simple as the electronic code locks that the ShinRa had invented, but it worked. The rocks shifted slightly as the wall at the back of the cavern moved to one side, Godo waited patiently; soon he would be in his office, arranging everything and solving the problems that had appeared in his absence. As the rock finally opened fully a Wutai soldier stepped forward and grabbed his arm, dragging him inside and ordering the door to be shut.

"Lord Godo sir, how wonderful that you have returned we have much to talk about sir."

Godo stopped, freeing his arm from the stranger, "What madness is this, why was I not asked for the pass code, has security become this lax since I left?" He shouted at some of the troops that were watching him, one of them stepped forward and saluted,

"No Sir! As soon as word got to us that you had returned to the capital, we had a spy follow you to make sure it was really you, and then he followed you here. We knew it was you before you knocked on the walls Sir!"

Godo grunted appreciatively, they had worked well without him, showing initiative and planning. "And who exactly is this fool who grabbed me as soon as I entered; he isn't one of ours is he?"

"No Lord Godo, I am not," the man turned around and smiled softly at Godo, his long hair was already going grey, and the robes he wore spoke of his position as a priest. "My name is Gorky, I am here because your daughter, Lady Yuffie, lead me here, believing you would return here soon. I have looked after her since she turned up at the temple of Da-Chao close to Fort Tamblin. Soon after she recovered from her burns, she urged me to leave with her until she arrived here."

"Yuffie…is here?" Godo said, his face shining in disbelief, he ran into his office to find her sitting in his chair, reading his reports from Midgar.

Hours later, Godo let Yuffie go again, allowed her to leave the caverns of the Crescent Unit again to hunt for treasure. She had apparently discovered a penchant for it, after finding a ShinRa communication device as she escaped Tamblin, filled with contact details of various ShinRa operatives, including one Zack Fair, and members of the Black Ops unit of ShinRa, the Turks. She wanted to go out looking for the hidden treasures that the ShinRa had hidden to protect their image from the public. Godo had eventually agreed after much pleading on her part, and seeing the potential usefulness behind her cause. The only condition he imposed upon her was that Gorky remained with her, to make sure she came to no harm while on her travels.

After she left he heard the reports from the other members of the Crescent Unit. He heard things he had not been able to discern in the capital. Wutai was slowly being depleted of its stocks of Materia, as the war continued the power within the Materia was being drained, and unlike ShinRa they had no way of creating their own Materia, forcing Mako into shards of old Materia to refuel it. The extent of their lack was more extensive than anyone in the capital believed, so much so that all the remaining Materia in Wutai was currently stored in one room in the Crescent Unit's base. On top of that, the most recent news had come through today, that Staniv and Chekhov had both been captured by Zack Fair.

After the troops had finished their reports, they left Godo to himself in his office. Staniv and Chekhov had been taken by the ShinRa. He could only wonder what would happen to his friends while they were trapped in the depths of the ShinRa headquarters. He felt powerless; he could do nothing to help them now. Closing his eyes he clenched his fists. This feeling, this hopelessness, this loss, it had all started with him, so long ago now at Fort Tamblin. He had tried so hard to keep on top of things, stop Wutai from falling apart, but if felt as if his entire world was crumbling into ruin. For the first time since his wife's death he felt as if he were going to break into tears.

Chocobos, suddenly all Godo could hear where Chocobos, around the base. Standing up he grabbed for his polearm, checking the gun attachment to see if it was loaded. Someone was coming, and Godo was fairly certain he knew who it would be. Stepping out of his office he walked down the paths of the cavern, the Chocobo noises being cut short by screams of death. Somewhere within the base, a spiky haired SOLDIER ran loose, swinging his sword around, barely a man, cutting short the lives of Godo's troops. He sighed, it had become clear that all of the Spies had been caught, and they had all given the various parts to the code of entry that they knew. He had thought to make the ShinRa's job harder by changing the entry procedure, and making sure that the 6 spies only knew a portion of it. He wondered if they all had died, or had they been tortured into talking. Shaking his head he carried on walking to the Materia stores, equipping a few attack Materia to use on his aggressor. He would not go down without a fight, he would not be an easy target like he was at Gongaga, and he would not be the fool he was at Tamblin. Zack would pay for the lives he had taken; Godo would make sure of it.

As Godo left the storeroom he saw the last Crescent soldier fall in front of him, cut down by a huge sword held as if it were nothing but a child's toy. Godo marvelled at the boy's strength, it was as remarkable as it was at Tamblin. As the body fell though, Godo saw that Zack had grown. His hair had been grown out, and he looked more sombre and scarred now. Godo sighed for him, something had happened since their last meeting that had changed this SOLDIER, forced him to grow up. Like Godo he had seen much since their last meeting. Sighing softly Godo wondered if that sombre look was something that all SOLDIERs developed, the longer they spent in the employ of ShinRa. It pained him, but Godo felt a connection with this boy, Zack, two warriors, honourable and steadfast in their beliefs and their choices, but scarred by the horrors they had witnessed. Zack was no longer a boy, he had grown into a man, and Godo knew that he had lost this battle already.

Shaking his head, he readied his spear and smiled,

"It has been a long time Zack Fair."

Zack shook his head, his brow furrowed, before smiling back at Godo,

"You! You're the guy from Fort Tamblin. So it's been you that's been causing ShinRa so much trouble. Well, I guess it's time to get to work then." Zack said, inhaling deeply before drawing his colossal blade from its catch.

Godo grunted and prepared himself, somehow he had to win this fight, and somehow he had to save Wutai from the ShinRa Corporation. He thought of Yuffie, and protecting Wutai so that she had a home to come back to, Staniv, Shake, Chekhov, Gorky, all of the soldiers he had left in Midgar, he needed to protect Wutai so that they could be protected. Godo whispered a prayer to Da-Chao and charged.

Godo was ready for Zack's block and aimed higher than he needed to, his spear meeting the sword with a resounding clash, the ring of steel against steel echoing in the caverns. With his free hand he reached around the sword and punched Zack in the ribs, grunting as his foe took a step backwards. Without letting up, Godo swung his spear again, aiming low this time for the legs, Zack deflected it again with a flick of his sword and fired an Ice spell at him. Godo rolled to one side, barely dodging the attack, but still felt the sting of the ice against his face. Jumping to his feet Godo launched a Fire spell at Zack, and over the roar of the flame, heard the SOLDIER shout in pain as it hit his arm. However his opponent recovered quickly swinging the mammoth blade towards him, pulling his spear up quickly Godo blocked it and noticed something strange, the side of the sword coming towards him, was the blunt edge, rather than the menacing blade edge. Godo had no time to ponder this however as the force of the blow pushed him backwards, his feet slipping on the rocky floor. Godo crouched quickly and leapt upwards, bringing his spear down as he fell through the air, straight at Zack. At the last moment however his opponent brought his sword upwards, knocking Godo out of the air, and landing a few feet away.

Dazed, Godo coughed and stood up, and ran towards where his spear had landed, while shooting another Fire spell at Zack. Godo stopped suddenly as he saw the way to his spear blocked by Zack's sword, and bowed his head. Once again he had been beaten by this SOLDIER, and once again he felt humiliated. ShinRa would take Wutai from him, and there was nothing to stop that now. Godo's only joy now came from knowing he would die honourably, at the hands of a superior warrior. Closing his eyes he thought again of Yuffie, his reckless carefree daughter, the treasure hunter. Travelling the world with Gorky, learning more and more about the world outside Wutai, he then thought of Staniv, Chekhov and Shake, his most trusted in the Crescent Unit, and he wondered if they blamed him for their fates. He prayed for them, them and all of the other Crescent Soldiers who had died under his command. Da-Chao would guide them to the lifestream and through there to Paradise.

It was then, that for Godo everything went blank.

*****

He had been found just outside Wutai's capital city by some of the townspeople. Nobody knew how he got there, or how long he had been under the affect of the sleep spell that Zack had cast on him. When he awoke however he was in his father's house and Staniv was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room. Godo groaned, so sure he was dreaming, his father's lavishly decorated room spinning. The golden dragon statues would not stand still, and the wallpaper seemed to be melting onto the stained hardwood floor. Blinking and shaking his head, the spinning stopped, and the room righted itself, but Staniv was still there, asleep. Sitting up Godo looked at the papers on the desk next to his bed. Reading through them he found out he had been unconscious for 3 months, and Wutai had finally surrendered to the ShinRa, `on the terms that all of Wutai's remaining materia was to be taken and they would pay taxes to the ShinRa. However, the Crescent Unit soldiers would be returned to Wutai and no Mako reactor would be built there. To add to this Wutai's leaders had banned the use of all materia in the country and any found or acquired was immediately sent to the ShinRa.

Other reports told of an AVALANCHE plot that occurred in Wutai, which was ultimately stopped by the Turks. Yuffie had gotten involved somehow, but was unharmed and had left again, leaving Gorky behind to help her Grandfather while her Father had been incapacitated. Godo read all of these reports quickly, his heart breaking the more he read.

Wutai was a broken country now, and his Father had been increasingly ill. There was nothing for Godo to do now, nothing he could do to repair the damage that had been done at the hands of ShinRa. Sighing, Godo closed his eyes and thought of that boy, who had defeated him twice, and in essence, destroyed Wutai's chance of freedom. Yet still, Godo couldn't help but respect him, even admire him. That SOLDIER 1st Class, Zack Fair.

*****

Godo groaned and stood up. He had been in the Pagoda for too long, waiting for any kind of challenge. It had been so long since the events of Tamblin, and his defeat at the hands of Zack Fair. He had gotten lazy, and stopped training, and now he was reaping the rewards for those failures. So much had happened since then and very little of it had been pleasing for Godo, but he had struggled, with the help of Staniv, Chekhov, Shake and Gorky, to rebuild Wutai after his Fathers passing. They had done all that they could to keep the town alive and safe, even though it went against everything they wanted. Wutai had become a tourist town, with people from all across the globe coming to gawk and stare at the statue of Da-Chao. It made Godo sick to his stomach to do this to his beloved country, but there were no other options.

Yuffie stood in front of him, breathing hard and sweating. He hadn't seen his daughter in years, and she had grown into a fine young woman, and a fine warrior. A woman who had just beaten him in combat, the first person to defeat Godo the leader of the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods, his heart swelled with pride and he knew that finally she was worthy to receive the gift he had planned to give her when she was old enough. Right now however, it was the young man behind her that interested him.

On his back was strapped the same sword that Zack used all those years ago, a sight Godo believed he would never see again. Smiling Godo saw the same look in this man's eyes that he had seen in Zack's, experience, pain, loss, but at the same time optimism and honour. It was a look that gave Godo hope for the future, and if Yuffie was learning from him, it gave him hope for Wutai.


End file.
